The Jewels of the Quill authors have added another awesome anthology to their already impressive set. Tales of the Treasure Trove IV has stories from eight of the multitalented authors. Each story is an intriguing romance tale from several different genres. There is something for every romance lover in this anthology. This is the kind of book you put on your keeper shelf and reread.

Hugh Riva is the King of Rivand and in his youth he had a terrible decision to make. Woman Cast in Amber (The Amber Chronicles, Book 1) by Janet Lane Walters is that story. Emme was Hugh’s body slave that means she went everywhere with him from the time they were five; she tasted his food first, slept on the floor of his room, took care of his belongings, and rarely left his side. The problem is that each first born son of the King of Rivand for the past five hundred years has been cursed and cast into an amber ball because they cannot love. Hugh was his father’s only son and if Hugh was placed in the amber it would be the end of his family. Hugh’s father planned for Emme to sacrifice herself to save Hugh. Will that work? Can someone else take his place? Should Hugh allow it? This is a really unusual story. I’m not sure how I feel about it; it is good but unsettling. What would I have done faced with the dilemma Hugh and Emme faced? My problem with the story is not the tale but that I’m not sure I would have been able to do the right thing myself and while that is thought provoking it is uncomfortable. I think this is a book that I need to read the sequel to settle my turbulent thoughts and a sequel is promised in Tales of the Treasure Trove V.

In Turquoise Twilight (North of Nonesuch series, Book 3; Book 2 is in Tales of the Treasure Trove III) by Jane Toombs, Talissa Hunter won a trip to Romania. She has always dreamed of going to Romania to see the land her Grandmother talked about in stories when she was growing up. Even though Talissa’s Grandmothers stories were a little odd. She told stories of vampires and werewolves and vampire hunters whose blood is poison to a vampire. Talissa has been told that is where her surname Hunter came from, that her family has the poisonous blood but really who would believe those kind of stories now a days? While in Romania Talissa finds a dog that adopts her that she names him Vlad. Vlad and Talissa discover an injured man, Marcus Zugaric, and take him to the nearby monastery for treatment. The brothers say the man will not live if he doesn’t receive an immediate blood transfusion and Talissa is his blood type. The blood transfusion has somehow linked Talissa and Marcus together but he is from Britain and she is from America and Talissa doesn’t expect to ever see him again. Will Marcus find Talissa again? How did he lose so much blood that he needed a transfusion to survive? Oh, this is a good spooky story! I loved the mysterious other travelers, the spooky old castle and inns the group stays in, and the scary stories they tell each other at night. Then there are the really weird circumstances that lead to Talissa and Marcus meeting. And of course since this is a Nonesuch tale, there is a paranormal element and a bit of a surprise. I can’t wait for the next Nonesuch episode!

Have you ever wondered what a fairy tale would be like if it was a horror story? That is what Karen Wiesner does with the Blood of Amethyst (Woodcutter’s Grim Series – Classic Tales of Horror Retold, Book 2; Book 1 is in Shadows in the Heart). This tale is a horror version of Rumplestilskin in which the “little man” is a demon and a vampire. The evil is after Amethyst Phillips and Gabriel Reece, who is a guardian, her lover, and the father of her child, cannot stop the evil unless he makes an ultimate sacrifice. Unfortunately Gabriel doesn’t know what the sacrifice must be and doubts he can make it. His father and grandfather both failed and the evil is spreading beyond the town limits of Woodcutter’s Grim where it has been contained for a very long time. Don’t expect a happily-ever-after ending with this tale, this is truly a horror story and someone will lose to the overwhelming evil taking over the area, but who will it be this time? I was thoroughly creeped-out by this story and loved it. I do not advise you to read this story at home alone, at night, without adequate light…

In Petals of a Topaz Jewel by Carrie S. Masek, Beth Collins has been widowed for two years and it is time to make some changes in her life. Her daughter is in college now so she is no longer responsible for anyone else. Beth arranges for a date from a personal add but she may have gotten more than she bargained for. There is a serial killer that rapes and murders women and leaves yellow rose petals at the scene of the crime. Is Beth on a date with the murderer? This story contains a marvelous twist that makes it a fun read despite the subject matter of a potential serial murderer. Ms. Masek has a great sense of humor and I really enjoyed this tale.

In Sapphire Dreams (Sapphire Palace series, Book 1) by Nancy Pirri, Marshal James Freeman has a deep dislike for brothels and plans to shut them all down. His own mother had been forced to do “favors” for men for the money she and James needed to survive when his father died and it killed her. Kate O’Malley owns a combination of a saloon, dining room and boarding house but James isn’t sure that it is all legal and he sets out to catch her doing something wrong. Is James wrong about Kate or is Kate hiding something illegal. Kate can’t decide what James’ problem is; he seems to be determined to stop all women of business from being able to earn a living. This is a cute historical western tale with two strong-minded personalities on the path to a collision. When the crash comes it isn’t pretty but it is fun. I grinned all the way through this tale. I can’t wait to read Annie’s story next (Annie is a waitress and friend of Kate’s) coming in Christmas Wishes anthology, September 2008.

Mina and Lucian’s story continues in Saurian Bloodstone (The Saurian series, Book 3; Book 2 is in Tales of the Treasure Trove III) by Cassie Walder with Mina and Lucian traveling to Homeworld. Once there Mina has to quickly learn about their society and find her place. Since Lucian is her Bondmate he is with her and able to help her adjust but it is difficult. For Mina many of the customs of the Homeworld are foreign and difficult to understand and she fears she will do something wrong and harm her reputation or Lucian’s reputation. Mina also fears that Lucian is her Bondmate out of duty instead of love but Mina is in love with him. Will Mina be able to adjust to this society and find her proper place and will Lucian be with her? Saurian Bloodstone is a cute, entertaining tale. Ms. Walder has Mina having to adjust from a culture where she lived to serve to a culture in which she must demonstrate her ability to lead. The fact that the sets of norms and morays of the two worlds are almost complete opposites makes for a very interesting situation that Mina must carefully wade through. I can’t wait to see what happens with Mina and Lucian next!

In The Tanzanite Return (sequel to The Tanzanite Curse found in Tales of the Treasure Trove III) by C.J. Winters, the story picks up with Tabitha and Tanya, twin daughters of the main characters of The Tanzanite Curse. On their thirtieth birthday, the twins buy matching tanzanite necklaces and meet Clive Smathers, a cop, and Nick Bettinger, a reporter. Both couples become an item and life is good until Tabitha has a dream about a massive earthquake in their area. Clive and Nick recommend the twins not go public with the dream because it could just lead to panic and their predictions are not 100%. Can the girls live with themselves if they stay silent and people are killed? Can the girls survive the ridicule if they go public cause a panic and then nothing happens? This is a really intriguing, thought provoking story. What a dilemma Tabitha and Tanya are faced with; I would hate to have to make this kind of decision. As a book, I loved it! Ms. Winters does a masterful job hooking the reader’s interest and taking them for the ride of their life as they work through the problem with the main characters.

Although The Moonstone Fire (Men of Moonstone series, Book 1) by Christine DeSmet is the first book of a new set of Moonstone stories, the secondary characters are from the first Moonstone books so you may want to read those stories first. John “Bozeman” Hall goes to Moonstone to help Peter and Chrystal LeBarron figure out who burned down their house. While trying to solve the mystery, he finds Dolly Kane and her young son Finn hiding out in a cave nearby. She has left her husband and doesn’t want to be found, she’s afraid her husband will take Finn away. John has his own issues to deal with and doesn’t trust women and is afraid to get close to Finn but he keeps finding himself seeking them out and trying to make sure they are okay. What is John going to do about Dolly and Finn? Do they know something about who set the fire or could they be responsible? John needs to solve this mystery quickly and get back home before he gets attached to Dolly and Finn. This is another cute Moonstone story but I wouldn’t recommend reading this one as your first introduction to Moonstone. The Moonstone stories are so entertaining and fun you don’t want to miss one. I enjoyed The Moonstone Fire and am looking forward to another adventure in the next story.

At the moment, Tales of the Treasure Trove IV is my favorite anthology from the Jewels of the Quill authors but I’m not sure if it is because it is the best or just because it is the latest one I have read. Half of the stories are sequels to stories found in some of the other anthologies and half of the stories are the start of a new series or stand alone tales. Every story is good and well worth reading. All of the anthologies I have read from the Jewels of the Quill authors have been wonderful collections of stories with something to please almost any type of romance tale you could want. I’m looking forward to their next project because I know I will not be disappointed.

Reviewed by: Stephanie B.